Ever since it was conceived, Roger Waters has claimed The Wall as his very own, Pink Floyd be damned. Fortunately, the other members of Floyd weren’t as possessive of the piece as Waters, with the exception of the trademark riffs David Gilmour wrote for “Another Brick In The Wall” and “Comfortably Numb.” Nevertheless, Waters has sallied forth with The Wall at different points in his post-Floyd career, employing other musicians. First, there was a single performance in 1990 in Berlin with several special guests and a myriad of technical issues. Then, from 2010-2013, Waters mounted an ambitious tour featuring a steady cast of singers and musicians and spectacular, technically advanced effects and lighting. It would become one of the highest grossing tours on record. And now, Roger Waters The Wall superbly captures every angle and then some on DVD and Blu-ray Disc.
This isn’t your garden-variety concert film and nor does it attempt to present any sort of narrative like the 1982 Pink Floyd The Wall film directed by Alan Parker and starring Bob Geldof. Roger Waters The Wall is more about upgrading the handful of shows Pink Floyd staged around The Wall in 1980 and 1981. It also asserts that the album’s story is very much the story of Roger Waters.
Thirty years later and the technology available to ramp up the live experience is leap years ahead of what anyone could have imagined back in 1980, least of all, Pink Floyd. Waters not only restaged the original production, he also turned the 500-foot wall itself into a hi-tech video wall used to great effect at every turn. That, random sound effects, standby props, and a schooled band come together in reproducing the piece note-prefect. In the film, Waters also cuts away from the concert to staged scenes of him, his family, his friends, driving, drinking, paying homage to his father, Eric Fletcher Waters, killed in World War II and an inspiration to the original piece.
The live footage itself was shot in 4K and may be one of the most visually stunning concert Blu-ray Discs on the market. A second disc included in the double disc Blu-ray Disc set includes various Facebook footage of the staging. There’s also a clip of Waters performing “Comfortably Numb” with Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour at London’s 02, followed by another clip from the same show of Waters, Gilmour and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason performing “Outside The Wall.” Altogether, Roger Waters The Wall is about as close to what The Wall was truly about as you’re going to get.
~ Shawn Perry
